


Valve Lash

by Lightpoint



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Conspiracy, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hugs, Innuendo, Luke needs a hug, M/M, Modern AU!Rey will always be some form of engineer because canon, Organized Crime, Palpatine is pulling strings behind the scenes, Rey Needs A Hug, Reywalker, Sexual Tension, Skywalker Family Feels, Slow Burn, Teacher-Student Relationship, The Force Awakens Kink Meme, Wet Clothing, the crime war backstory has canon parallels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-03-20
Packaged: 2018-05-24 07:33:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6146251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lightpoint/pseuds/Lightpoint
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey is a Mechanical Engineering major, taking a practical lab for repairing/designing diesel engines. Luke is the professor. Sweaty sexual tension ensues, engine grease gets everywhere, and the fate of <strike>Mount Resistance University</strike> the world rests on the shoulders of four Seniors, a TA, a reluctant professor, his badass lawyer twin, and miles and miles of duct tape.</p><p>Starts out as shameless, fluffy, teacher/student UST and then jumps headfirst into The Plot. The mutual attraction stays, of course, but Shit Gets Real.<br/><b>*On temporary hiatus! :( * CURRENTLY BEING REWORKED BECAUSE REASONS</b></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fuel Injector

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the following prompt from the 'The Force Awakens Kink Meme':
> 
> ' _Luke/Rey College Au:He's not sure if he's imagining everything or his student is trying to seduce him (she totally is). Just give me a fic where Rey falls for Luke and is out to get him regardless of the age difference._  
>  **Prompt found[here:](https://tfa-kink.dreamwidth.org/2821.html?thread=5068805#cmt5068805).**
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing Star-Wars related, especially the characters. If I did, they would probably be taken away from me, for their own protection.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Rey get dirty.

“Now the most important thing is to keep track of the components. I can’t tell you how many times I wound up with ‘spare parts’ after reassembly.”

A few of the students giggled. Rey rolled up the sleeves of her grease-spotted coveralls and leaned closer. Luke’s stomach flipped as their eyes met…and then darted away, an expression of polite attention on her face. 

“Well,” he said, straightening. “To state the obvious, before we can take a look inside, we need to shut the engine down.” There were more giggles. Luke smiled and gestured at Jessika, who was inching towards the kill switch in what she clearly thought was a subtle manner. “Jessika, if you please?”

The twelve students watched attentively as he walked the fourth-year engineering student through the shutdown process. It was the first lab, and since most of the students in Diesels 1 had never changed their own wiper fluid, much less disassembled a 6-cylinder Caterpillar engine, he figured he should start with the basics. Soon the engine lurched to a halt. He smiled thankfully at Jessica and had Snap Wexley set up the chainfall. 

“Today we will be removing the fuel injectors and changing the oil,” he said. “I hope you all brought your toolboxes?” Most of the class nodded. “Excellent. Now, please divide into teams – three to an engine. The instructions are on page 8 of your lab manual. Mr. Dameron and I will be observing. Please do not hesitate if you have a question or require assistance. You have until 2:00. Now get to it!” He clapped his hands and gestured at the four engines set up around the lab. 

“It’s a good bunch this year,” said Poe Dameron, a Ph. D candidate and the lab TA. “The demographic’s certainly changed since I was in undergrad. I wonder why?” 

He shot Luke a sly glance. 

“You certainly haven’t changed,” said Luke, in a tone that meant ‘you are so full of it’. …Though Poe did have a point. 7 out of the 12 students in the lab were female.

“You know there’s a waiting list for this time slot…” Poe continued. Luke rolled his eyes.

“Shouldn't you be helping someone?” 

Poe cracked his very best shit-eating grin.

“You know, Finn over there looks like he needs some help with that torque wrench…” 

He mussed his dark hair and sidled over to where the tall, African-American man was fumbling with said wrench, trying to set it to the correct value, and glancing up at Poe with wide, hopeful eyes. Luke suppressed a grin. 

“Professor Skywalker?”

Luke jumped. Rey was standing close enough that he could see the sweat beading on her forehead, and her rosy, flushed cheeks. _Well, it_ is _hot in here…_ he thought, steadying himself.

“What can I do for you Rey?” he asked, taking a careful step back.

“We’re having some issues…” she said, leading him over to her station. Rey, Jessika, and Bea (who went by BB) were clustered around their engine, a green V-4. 

They’d gotten the cover off and exposed the cylinder heads and fuel injectors, but had so far been unsuccessful with their removal attempts.

“It’s just here,” said Rey, tracing greasy finger over the insertion point. “We detached all the lines, but…it’s just in so deep. Like it doesn’t want to come out.”

“Ok,” said Luke. “Pass me the oil please. And that rag.”

BB and Jessika exchanged a quick, (rather unnecessarily smirky, in his opinion) look and passed him what he needed. 

“Now sometimes you just have to give it a little extra lubrication, like this,” he said, dripping oil around the head. “Hmm,” he frowned, his long fingers carefully circling the area, oblivious to the fact that he had the three girls’ undivided attention. “The fit _is_ a bit tight…Now, give it a pull…” Rey reached in and tugged gently, to no effect. 

“Eh, still nothing,” she said. “Maybe if you – “

“Ok, you hold here and I’ll twist here – there, now try it.” Rey leaned in, their faces so close they were almost touching. Her breath was warm and light on his cheek.

“Like this?” she murmured, twisting it to the left, her fingers slippery and hot against his. 

“Eh, maybe…This?” Luke gulped and focused resolutely on the injector. “Ok, now!”

“Ah…” gasped Rey as the injector slipped out. “Now that’s better.” Jessika snorted.

“That’s what sh-“

“Don’t. Just don’t,” BB muttered. Jessica smacked her in the arm.

“Uhm, yes. Great!” said Luke, a little too loudly. Rey smiled proudly, cradling the dripping, tapered cylinder in her hand. BB tossed Rey the cloth with a happy giggle.

“Thank you Professor!” said Rey. “I’ll just clean this up and we’ll change the oil.” 

“Dibs!” said Jessika, grabbing a screwdriver and crouching down near the oil reservoir. BB pouted and started arranging the removed nuts and bolts in proper replacement order. Rey held the injector carefully and ran the cloth up and down it’s smooth length. Once she’d removed the worst clogs, she got a fresh cloth and encircled it, moving her hand slowly up and down. Then her eyes flicked to his. Luke felt his throat run dry as he realized he’d been staring. She held his gaze and bit her lower lip, smoothed it over with her tongue, and lifted the injector until it was level with her chest, grasped the larger end, and started pumping it rhythmically, giving the end a little twist before she slid back up…

“Professor? Sir!” 

“What?” Luke jumped. Snap waved him over, gesticulating franticly with a broken screwdriver. Luke sighed and came back to earth. Looks like it was the first re-drill of the semester…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fuel injector: [Holy innuendo Batman!](http://pawlikautomotive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/cummins-injectors.jpg)
> 
> You're welcome >:)
> 
> Also, Jessika was about to say _'That's what she said!'_
> 
> In case that wasn't clear ;)


	2. Room for Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jessika wasn't born yesterday.

“I know what you’re doing.”

“Mmmm,” said Rey, not looking up from her Fluid Mechanics textbook. 

Rey’s mattress creaked as Jessica sat down heavily. 

“Rey, last month when the coolant line blew out on my Mustang?”

“Uhm, yeah…And if you’d brought it in three months ago – “

“- I wouldn’t have been stranded fifty miles outside town in the middle of a snowstorm. We’ve been through this.” Rey threw up her hands, book forgotten.

“What _is it Jess?_ ”

“Who did I call?”

“What?”

“Who did I call at the ass crack of dawn and ask her to grab her tow truck and haul my beautiful, bruised baby to her garage? Who did I _pay_ to replace the entire coolant system?”

“Ah.” 

Jess rolled her eyes.

“There is absolutely no reason for you to be in that class, Rey.”

“What about an easy A?” Rey gestured at the small mountain of textbooks and notes that were fighting a bitter cold war with her collection of salvaged computer components for her half of the dorm room. “I could seriously use a GPA cushion – this semester is going to be horrible. And besides,” she said, sighing, “Working on engines relaxes me.” It’s was Jessica’s turn to roll her eyes.

“Yeah, I’ll be it does. ‘Help me Professor Skywalker, you’re my only hope!’ ”

“Je-esssss,” Rey groaned. “It was _not_ like that.” Jess lifted an eyebrow.

“ _’It’s in so deep?’_ Oh my _God_ Rey….”

“In my defense it was jammed in there pretty good. Whoever worked on that engine last really fucked up the rebuild. Now, don’t you have homework or something?”

“I mean, seriously, well-played,” Jess continued, pointedly ignoring her roommate. “If there’s any way to get a guy to lend a hand…” Jess smirked as Rey flushed brightly enough to be seen from space.

“He knows what he’s doing,” said Rey. Privately, she was quite relieved. She’d transferred from Jakku Community College last semester, and she’d endured some magnificently incompetent instruction in the mechanical arts while accumulating enough credits to clear her engineering prereqs. There were times that Mt. Resistance University felt like an entirely different planet. 

Of course, she was a number of other things besides relieved. The first week had been…interesting. Class had been bad enough. She sat in the front, as was her usual habit, powered up her laptop, rubbed the cobwebs out of her eyes, and almost dumped her coffee all over her lap when Professor Skywalker walked through the door. By themselves, the sharp, intelligent blue eyes, neatly trimmed silver hair and beard, and tailored tweed suit would have rendered her speechless. The complete package meant that it would take an earthquake to move her from her seat.

And then he took off his jacket. 

Rey knew she was doomed.

It got worse at the first lab. Professor Skywalker had introduced the TA, run down the syllabus, and walked them through a basic breakdown procedure. They’d split into two groups, so Rey had a front row seat when her professor went to work. 

Rey was good with machines. She knew it, her friends knew it, and her customers at the J-Squared Auto Shop knew it. But Luke – No, Professor Skywalker – was something else entirely. She was pretty sure she was gaping like a newb, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off his hands as they _danced_ from tool to engine and back again with a steady confidence and familiarity that Rey was constantly reaching for, but rarely achieved even with her T-Bird, which she knew like the back of her hand. 

The memory of him leaning over the engine block, coverall sleeves rolled up, frowning with concentration as oil-spotted fingers coaxed a response out of that old, gummed up receiver line stayed with her into the evening. 

She’d lain in the dark, waited for Jessica’s breathing to even out in sleep, and allowed her mind to wander back to the sharp tangy smell of cutting fluid and oil, the feel of smooth, warm metal under her fingers, and the absolute focus of her professor had for his work. She thought of what it would be like to have that focus concentrated on her, to have those long, clever fingers in - 

“ - I’ll be he does,” said Jess, snapping Rey back into the conversation. “When a man is good with his hands…”

“Jess, come on…” Jessika smiled and waved her hands playfully.

“Ok, ok I get it. Plausible deniability,” she said. And winked. 

Rey groaned and flopped back onto her bed.

 _What am I going to_ do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rey has a T-Bird. It is awesome.


	3. Tenure Hath It's Privileges

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe wasn't born yesterday, either.

“You’re imagining things,” said Luke, resolutely scanning his lesson plan. Poe snorted.

“Luke, you’ve had tenure for _how_ long? Don’t tell me you’ve never had to throw a naked student out of here,” the TA said, leaning back in his chair and waving vaguely. They were crammed into Luke’s office, which, while of a fairly reasonable size (tenure was _amazing_ ) was so full of old files and engine sub-assemblies in varying states of completion and cleanliness that there was barely enough room for his desk and two chairs.

Luke sighed and massaged his suddenly aching head.

“Believe it or not, no, I haven’t,” he said. Poe leaned forward again, genuinely surprised.

“You’re joking,” he said.

“It’s not that there haven’t been a few…crushes, but I’ve made a point of not encouraging anything. Some of us _are_ capable of the polite cold shoulder, you know.”

It was true. Back when he was a wet-behind-the-ears associate professor there had been a few instances of a student hanging around awkwardly after class, or requesting ‘extra tutoring’ at odd hours, but Luke had made a point of cultivating an air of obliviousness. The impact of such an indiscretion on both his career and the life of the student was far too high a price. Such offers (in a manner of speaking) had petered off over the years - no student had made a significant effort to gain his attention since he’d gone gray.

“You’re imagining things,” he said again, not at all thinking of delicate, oil-stained hands wrapping around that injector, skillfully tracing every edge and bend, a warm finger finding the spot _just there_ – 

“Ahem.”

Luke forcibly derailed _that_ train of thought and glared at Poe, who was beset with a sudden fit of coughing. 

“Really,” he said. “Rey is an incredible student. Ackbar said he was getting worried about his job security,” said Luke, smiling and shaking his head. The man had been a professor of Theoretical Physics for longer than Luke had been alive, and had taught Rey last semester. All joking aside, Ackbar was hoping that she would apply to the Master's program. “She has no reason to…approach me.”

“That’s not – Wow. Just wow.” Poe clenched his jaw. “That’s not what I’m saying at all. Just…Don’t sell yourself short. And get a freaking mirror. Are you all right with those?” Poe asked, gesturing at the pile of still-ungraded papers under Luke’s elbow. 

“Of course,” said Luke. Poe rose, but Luke held up a hand, asking him to wait. “Poe, I know you mean well, it’s just that I – “ Poe shook his head, smiling fondly.

“I’m not saying you should...you know. Just don’t sell yourself short, ok? And come out with us sometime.” Luke had to laugh at that. 

“I think my bar crawling days are quite over, young man.” _As are my dating days._

“Not from what Han says. _How_ many shots was that last Life Day?”

“Ok. You. Out. Now. Oh, and Poe?” Luke smiled innocently as Poe grabbed his coat. “Say hi to Finn for me.”

“Good _night_ Professor. Have fun with that fuel injector.”

Luke slumped back into his desk chair. The pile of lab reports seemed to have gotten bigger in the last half-hour. How, exactly, was he supposed to focus when the memory of two seconds of touch still burned his skin? And tomorrow’s lecture was at 8 am. A sudden thought struck him. That had been more than an afternoon’s worth of oil under her fingernails. And she’d fairly _blazed_ through the second half of the lab, her team finishing a half-hour before the time limit. In fact they’d only taken that long because she’d been walking BB and Jessica though some of the more delicate parts. 

Maybe…

Luke rubbed his eyes, suddenly weary. 

_Back to work, old man..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luke needs a hug!
> 
> EDIT 3/6/16: I removed a part at the end of this chapter, for purposes of the plot...You'll see why in chapter 6 :D
> 
> EDIT 3/12/16: Changed something again, to close a potentially disastrous plot hole! The change: Rey's Physics prof last semester was Ackbar, not Ben. We'll find out more about him later...


	4. Nice Weather We're Having Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is both tardiness and a distinct lack of umbrellas.

“No, no, NO!” Jessika darted in front of Rey and braced herself in the doorway, trapping her in their dorm room.

“Jess, come ON we’re going to be late!” It was 7:45, Diesels 1 was in the Organa Memorial Engineering Building (15 minutes away, given Rey’s typical walking speed, 25 if Jessika was with her), and she had about 30 pounds of textbooks in her backpack, so that ought to add an extra 2 or 3 minutes. And it was raining.  
“You are so not wearing that,” her roommate said. 

“What’s wrong with it?” she heard herself say. _Oh god no…Get ahold of yourself Rey!_ “What’s wrong with _you?_ ” she snapped. “It’s a lecture not a date!”

“Nothing wrong with putting your best foot forward,” said Jessika resolutely, shutting the door and dead-bolting it. She marched to the closet like a woman heading into battle, and started throwing things unceremoniously onto Rey’s bed. 

Rey groaned, sank to the floor, and thunked her head against the wall.

“No, no, no…Hmmm…No…”

“How about that?” she asked, pointing to the ‘Portions of the Heart’ t-shirt hanging on her bedpost. It was clean. She was pretty sure, anyway – it’d passed the ‘sniff test’ this morning, but it had a scoop neck and for _fuck’s sake_ it was September!

“Are you…Oh wait, _you’re serious,_ ” said an appalled Jessika, prodding it with a finger like it was going to jump her. 

“I can’t pick an outfit unless you _tell me_ what you’re looking for!”

“Let’s start with ‘not that’,” Jess said, waving vaguely at Rey’s oversized, brown, button-down chambray shirt, faded blue jeans, and steel-toed boots. 

“I have work after this,” said Rey. “I save the nice clothes for, you know _actual_ dates.” 

“So bring it with you,” said Jess. But her gaze softened as her friend’s red face and tense shoulders registered. “At least leave it open,” she said. “And do something with your hair. Hmm…” She pulled Rey to her feet, spun her around, and grabbed a handful of bobby pins. 

“Just…Be quick ok?” said Rey, fumbling with her buttons. _At least my camisole is kinda nice…_ Her under-layer was a light rose color, and trimmed with lace. She winced as her roommate stabbed her with a bobby pin, pinning her hair up into…something that she couldn’t see; the full-length mirror was on the other side of the room. 

“There,” said Jess, smiling. “Now we’re ready.”

 _Finally_. Rey shouldered her backpack and headed out the door.

“So how is your new career as a pimp going?” 

“Just looking out for my best friend!” said Jess archly, tossing the umbrella into the closet after Rey turned away.

Her roommate had picked a _perfect_ day to run out of clean bras. 

***

“Oil viscosity,” said Luke, clicking to the next Power Point slide, his eyes flicking to the front row, and the empty seat two spaces from the left. “Will impact performance depending on the oil type and the environmental temperature.” 

_Where is she?_

“Especially on a day like today,” he said. The class laughed as thunder boomed, making them jump. It didn’t quite disguise the door closing in the back of the lecture hall.

“Ms. Smith, Ms. Pava, so nice of you to join us,” he said, as Rey and Jessika attempted to sneak in. “Up here,” he said, gesturing to the front row. A few students snickered as the pair of dripping girls squelched towards the front. “I would like to remind all of you that class participation makes up 20% of your grade. This includes attendance. And to carry umbrel – “ His breath caught in his throat. 

Rey had removed her soaking button-down and was wringing it out, an expression of disgust on her face. Underneath she wore a form-fitting tank top, which was likely _supposed_ to be pink…When it wasn’t drenched and clinging, and blending smoothly with her skin. 

He all but ran behind the podium. _Of course I wore_ these _pants today_ , he thought. _Stupid department meetings and their stupid dress code…_. The fine, gray slacks were better-tailored than his usual ‘professor uniform’, to use Poe’s words. Tailored meant _tighter._ And 'tighter' was the worst possible wardrobe choice for this particular situation. 

“Viscosity,” he somehow continued, “And the effects thereof, can be calculated using the following equation…” _Ackbar in fishnets, Ackbar in fishnets, Ackbar in a_ garter belt _and fishnets…_

Somehow he made it through the lecture. He threw on his blessedly long trenchcoat - _a gift from Leia, bless her_ \- and threw his papers together in record time. 

“…Professor Skywalker?”

Rey and Jessika stood on the other side of the podium, Rey red-faced and fidgeting, Jessika looking suspiciously smug for a student about to get points docked for tardiness. Luke breathed a quick prayer of thanks to the Gods of Frustrated Men – Rey had put her top layer back on. It was still open in the front, and if she stepped any closer…

“We’d just like to apologize,” said Rey quickly. “The rain, uhm…We’re sorry!” Huge, brown eyes met his. 

Damn it all, she really _was_ sorry.

“I will excuse your absence Ms. Smith, Ms. Pava. This time,” he said stiffly. “If you would excuse me, I have a meeting.” He beat a hasty retreat. He could not, however, miss Jessika’s smirk and Rey’s crestfallen expression. 

As for the next problem…The Dean’s office was five minutes away. The meeting was in an hour. 

Luke darted into the nearest single-stall Faculty bathroom and locked the door. He held onto the sink for support, his chest tight.

_Not right._

He gripped the sink and bowed his head, trying to wrestle down the boiling _ache._

In his mind's eye, she smiled at him, their fingers _just_ touching as, together, they removed the fuel injector. Except that he stayed, fingers threading with hers, tracing slick lines and metal curves, delving deep into the delicate insides of the engine, all careful touches and just the right amount of _pressure..._

_Professor…Luke...Please…_

He turned on the faucet and splashed icy water all over his face. Then he loosened his tie, soaked an enormous wad of paper towels, and applied it to his forehead and neck. 

Not perfect. His skin still itched, clothes feeling uncomfortably tight and warm. But he could handle the meeting. And not think about huge brown eyes, delicate hands, and...

Luke kicked himself mentally.

_Fool._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jessika, Jessika, Jessika...Your subtlety needs work >:) 
> 
> I am so, so sorry for doing this to Luke. But teacher/student anything isn't complete without _some_ angst! Especially when it's Luke and Rey.  
>  **EDIT 11/27/16:** This chapter has been modified a bit, because of pacing reasons!


	5. Off-Campus Activities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rey goes to work, and has an understanding boss...Who has a stubborn brother-in-law.

Not for the first time, Rey was grateful that she had an off-campus job. Sometimes it was good to be reminded that there was, in fact, a world outside Mt. Resistance U. 

It also gave her an excuse to avoid the dorm. So she wouldn’t, you know, _kill her roommate._

Luckily the terrible weather and impending winter had filled up the machine shop with both walk-ins and scheduled maintenance jobs, so Rey was able to throw herself into her work. She almost managed to lose herself in the ebb and flow of oil changes, snow tire changeout, and the pleasant burn of physical labor. Almost. 

Her skin still itched – she’d finally gotten her clothes dry, since she’d draped her shirt and jeans over the steam drum in the Engineering building boiler room, and sat on top of said drum in her underwear until everything was dry. Luckily she’d had her laden backpack to sit on. _Though a burned behind would certainly make this day complete._ She’d have to talk to the chief later; two gauges were out, the rust was practically sentient, and _no one_ had seen her. Obviously no one had checked the main pressure relief valve in a while, either. 

Unfortunately, after sitting in what was essentially a free sauna, her underwear and camisole were now stiff with dried sweat, and itching like mad. _The camisole…_ Her resolve to bring about Jessika’s painful demise strengthened. She almost wished she hadn’t gotten a look in the mirror after the Diesels lecture. Yes, it certainly explained a few…reactions she’d gotten when walking down the hall, but there was definitely something to be said for blissful ignorance.

 _He probably thinks I’m a mess,_ she thought, another wave of mortification washing through her as she slid out from under a ’07 Chevrolet with a bad brake line so that she could reach her tool box. _That I’m – oh…_

“Rey…you ok?” Her boss walked over, wiping his hands off with a mostly-clean rag. Rey, still on her back, fumbled around her tool box, not meeting his eyes. “You’re not yourself today.”

“I’m sorry Han,” she said, sighing. “It’s just been a rough day.”

“School getting you down?” He took her silence for a ‘yes’. “It can’t be easy, working here and going to school full time.” 

“No, I’m doing fine!” she said quickly. _I can’t lose this job!_ “It’s not the work, it’s…”

Rey trailed off, wondering how she could explain _’I have a massive crush on my Diesels professor that’s getting worse every day, and today I was late for class_ and _my boobs were pretty much in his face for an hour, so I hid in the boiler room until I had to come here_ ’ without actually saying it. 

“It’s just that some days I just want to _slug_ my roommate,” she said, hoping he’d buy it. 

“Hmmm…” he said, most definitely not buying it. “It _can_ be rough to be stuck in a room with the same person all the time. Especially if the dorm rooms up there are as small as I remember.” Rey smiled, despite herself.

“The floor monitor told me that it was a single when she was a freshman.” Han laughed. 

“When was the last time you went out, kid? Here doesn’t count.”

“Uhm…Orientation?”

“Freshman Orientation?” Rey rolled her eyes.

“This year,” she said. Han laughed.

“Well, the staff party is this weekend,” he said. “There’ll be a few kids your age there.”

The fliers had been up for weeks. When the shop beat the quarterly goal, and had a little extra left in the budget, Han threw a party at his house. He supplied the beer, and everyone brought food. Rey, for one reason or another, had never gone. She only interacted with a handful of Han’s employees, as he was careful to arrange shifts so that she and the handful of other college students could manage their coursework. Han was just good like that. 

…And maybe he was right. 

“I’ll bring chips and salsa,” she said. Han grinned from ear to ear. 

***

“How about this?”

Jessika paced around her like a drill sergeant. 

“Not bad…” she said. “Perhaps there is hope.”

Rey was wearing her best pair of jeans, a heather-gray t-shirt with a tasteful scoop neck, and black ballet flats.

“Told you I save the nice stuff,” she said. “And what is _that?_

Jessika smiled, and brandished her mascara like a weapon.

“I won’t go overboard!” she said. “I can do subtle, you know.”

“Sure you can’t come?” Rey asked, shutting her eyes as Jessika applied an eyeshadow base.

“Nice try,” said Jessika. “For one thing, I really actually _do_ have to study. And -– “

“ – You want me out of the nest.”

“Think of it as spreading your wings. Ok, blink.” Jessika smiled as she applied the final touches.

“Hey, thanks Jess,” said Rey. Her friend smiled.

“Don’t mention it. Now come over here.” She pulled her roommate over to the mirror.

“Wow,” said Rey, in spite of herself.

“I really _am_ sorry,” Jess said, after a moment, studying the floor intently.

“It's ok,” said Rey, after a moment -- just to make her sweat. She turned abruptly and pulled Jessika into a hug. “Now where did you hide the chips?”

***

“Thirty minutes Luke!” Leia called from the house entrance to the garage. Luke, lying on a wheeled plank underneath his XC70 Volvo (retrofitted to handle biodiesel), wrist deep in its innards, mumbled something dismissive.

“Luke?” Leia rolled her eyes and headed down into ‘The Pit’, as her husband and son called it. She crouched down next to him, carefully avoiding the oil spotting the concrete floor. Her brother stilled. 

“You’re going to have to come out sometime,” she said. Silence. Leia’s heart wrenched.

“Luke, what’s bothering you?” she asked quietly, sliding to the ground next to him. Her brother sighed.

“It’s nothing," he said, resuming his tinkering. 

“Don’t give me that,” she said. “You’ve been like this all week. I -" Luke pushed himself out from under the car.

“Like what?” he asked, genuinely surprised. 

“For one thing, you tried to sneak a cot in here on Tuesday,” she said. Luke laughed. She glared.

“It’s not funny. You’ve got a room upstairs.”

“I didn’t want to impose…”

“Luke, you’re welcome to stay with us any time,” said Leia. “The door is always open. I know that Han appreciates it when you come around. Someone to talk shop with,” she said, knowing it was more than that. The three of them had been through too much to drift apart after Leia and Han married.

“I just…I’m just figuring some things out.” _Am I ever._

Leia sighed. 

“Well, the party is starting soon, if you want to come up. After a shower,” she said. “What is that, three days’ worth of oil on there?” Luke laughed – an empty, bruised sound. 

“I doubt they would notice,” he said. 

“You…” Leia shook her head. “Just come say hello to Han. He’s worried about you.”

“…Ok.”

Leia stood and headed back upstairs. She glanced at the oil coating the hems of her jeans, and decided it could stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For purposes of The Plot, I removed the bit at the end of Chapter 3 where Luke Googles Rey. So he has no idea that she works for Han. :D


	6. She Cards Everyone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey attends the J-Squared Auto Shop staff party. It is both illuminating and eventful.

Rey wound up carpooling with two of Han’s other student employees. She took her canvass rucksack, and packed a toothbrush, toothpaste, face soap, and deodorant, just in case she got stuck; Rey had been to a few parties where the designated driver ‘forgot’ their duties, and had gotten stranded. She didn’t think that it’d happen; Han did not hire irresponsible assholes (she’d asked in the interview), but a backup plan never hurt anybody, and she knew that Han’s place would be safe. 

Also, if the night went _really_ well and she had a choice between staggering back into the dorm at 4 in the morning or crashing on Han’s couch, she’d definitely take the latter. _I haven’t gotten that drunk in awhile, but, again, backup plans…_

Han’s place was in the part of the city where urban sprawl met suburbia, which meant that finding a parking space ‘was a bitch’, as Harry put it when he parked his ancient station wagon four blocks away from the house. The three of them had wound up making a communal trip to Plutt’s Portions, the discount grocery store of choice for the students of Mt. Res.University. Mark’s mother had given him her membership card, so if they bought stuff in bulk, they’d save big. And thus it was that Rey, Mark, and Gus performed the feat of strength and daring that is ‘how many bags can I fit on each arm’ for 10 very long minutes.

The house was brightly lit, and already quite a crowd had gathered, judging by the number of cars parked semi-legally on both the lawn and the curb. Han’s house was rather large, if somewhat run down. It was technically a duplex, though the smaller half seemed to have been converted into a large garage.

“Epic machine shop,” said Mark, smacking the doorbell with his elbow as he tried to not fall off the step. “Converted the whole thing right after he opened J-Squared. He calls it The Pit.” He smiled, and Rey couldn’t help but smile back. He was about her age, a few inches taller than her, and had bright blue eyes and an open, sunny face. He held the door for her and Gus, who led the way to the kitchen. 

On the way they passed the living room, where a dozen or so people were already gathered, noisily drinking beer, eating pizza, and shouting over the AC/DC blasting from the stereo. Rey grinned as the four guys locked in a Halo deathmatch on the widescreen TV spewed a _flood_ of profanity as one of them fired a missile while facing a corner, taking all of them with him.

“RESPAWN! RESPAWN! RESPAWN!”

Gus rolled his eyes and dumped his bags on the kitchen floor. Like the rest of the house, it was old, but well maintained and appointed. It gave off the ‘shabby chic’ vibe that Rey had in mind for her own, eventual, home. The counters and island were covered with empty cans, bottles, and half-empty bags of chips. The unmistakable smell of fried mozzarella sticks filled the air. 

“Ok, soda goes...there. The cups and stuff are - Hey Mrs. Organa!” 

A petite woman with graying brown hair came into the kitchen from the living room, carrying a stack of empty pizza boxes. 

“Gus! Mark!” She set down the boxes and hugged each of them in turn, smiling broadly. “How have you been? Is Carrie with you?” 

“She couldn’t make it,” said Gus, sighing dramatically. “School, I guess.”

“This is Rey!” Mark said, pushing her forward. 

“Oh, Han has told me so much about you! I’m so glad you could make it.” Mrs. Organa scooped Rey into a hug, the bag of chips Rey was holding giving a giant _crunch_. 

“Eep!” Rey squeaked. “It’s great to meet you too Mrs. Organa.” 

The woman shot Gus a slightly teasing glare.

“How many times do I have to tell you? It’s Leia. Han is my husband - I kept my maiden name,” she said, by way of explanation. “He’s in the Pit trying to drag out my brother.” She pursed her lips, her forehead wrinkling. “Better leave them at it for now. Is there any Coke left?”

“We brought some,” said Rey shyly. _Yeah, I can tell she’s married to Han._

“Great. Now, the beer’s in the fridge, the rum is - Everyone here is 21, right?” She caught Rey’s eye seriously. “Otherwise you get your hand stamped.” 

“I’m 23,” Rey said quickly. “I have ID.”

“Just checking,” said Leia. “Now, the living room, patio, and kitchen are open. You can stash your purse in the guest room upstairs.” She pointed out each location. The patio was just off the kitchen, through a sliding glass door. “We closed the pool, so ‘no skinny dipping’ goes without saying...And the Pit is _absolutely_ off limits without a sanctioned escort.” She gave Mark an especially piercing glare. “Now, have fun! I’ll take that.” She took Rey’s rucksack and headed upstairs.

“Yeah, she cards everyone who comes here,” said Gus, unpacking the soda. 

“She seems nice,” said Rey, looking around the kitchen hesitantly.

“She’s a force of nature,” said Mark. Rey caught his wistful look. 

“That why you guys keep calling her Mrs. Organa?”

“Exactly,” said Gus. “And Mark li - “

“Here,” said Mark, opening a cupboard. “I’ll show you where that goes.” Gus hid a smirk.

“Most of this is going to get eaten, so it can go on the counter, or over there,” he said, pointing at the array of open tubs of dip on the island.

“You have to see the Pit,” said Mark, grinning.

“And the Falcon,” said Gus. “It’s Han’s project - a custom rig he’s been working on for...What did Mrs. Organa say?”

“20 years.”

“Yeah, it’s kind of an inside joke around here,” Gus said. “But seriously, the thing is _amazing_...” Rey laughed as both Gus and Mark stared wistfully off into the distance.

“Cool,” said Rey. “You said it’s in the Pit, though…”

“Yeah, but I’m sure Han’s gonna want to show you anyway, since it’s your first time here. And we are _so_ coming too.”

“Oh yeah, and Luke’s here. That’s even better.”

Rey froze.

“Um...Who’s Luke?”

“Mrs. Organa’s brother,” said Mark. “Guess he got lost in the Pit again.”

 _Luke_ Organa. _Oh thank GOD,_ thought Rey, mad at herself. _Get a grip, Rey, it’s a common name._

“And by ‘lost’, he means ‘forgot that there’s a world outside the Pit’,” said Gus, grinning. “He must be crashing - he lives downtown, so he’s not around very often. Too bad,” he said, shaking his head. “The man is a _genius_. Hey,” he continued, looking thoughtful. “We can probably get him to show us his XC70.”

“You got lucky today, Rey,” said Mark. 

“Ok, we’ve got Sam Adams, Coors Light, _actual_ Coors, Guinness, Pumpkinhead, Angry Orchard…” Gus said, sorting through the cans and bottles filling the fridge.

“Pumpkinhead,” said Rey and Mark. 

“Got it,” said Gus, grabbing three. There was a frustrated roar from the living room.

“Rey, do you play Halo?” Mark asked. She shook her head. “Want to learn?”

***

45 minutes later, Mark was loudly and vocally regretting his suggestion. 

“Ok Gus, seriously, we need to team up.”

Rey cackled maniacally.

“Bring it, wimps!” she yelled, reaching for her third beer. 

“Only if we get a fourth player,” said Gus chivalrously. “The Code of Honor demands it.” There was a murmur of mock-terrified refusals, varying from ‘no thanks’ to ‘HELL NO’, until a familiar voice rose above the crowd.

“Count me in,” said Finn, grinning broadly. 

“Now this I have to see,” said Poe Dameron, elbowing his way through the crowd, two beers in hand. 

“Hey, what are you guys doing here?” Rey asked, frowning. Her lab TA and her classmate were among the last people she was expecting to see. 

“I came with Poe,” said Finn, selecting his gear. 

“Aren’t you - “

“Mr. Rockwell is no longer in my lab section,” said the TA, smiling happily. “As such, there is no longer any sort of ethical conflict preventing us from following our hearts.” Poe laid his hand over said heart dramatically. 

“I switched to section 2,” said Finn. “Smartest thing I’ve done this year.”

“I don’t know what’s on any of the tests, and I don’t grade his assignments,” said Poe seriously, noticing Rey’s expression and interpreting it as concern. “I just work with my section, so no harm, no foul.”

“Right,” said Finn. “Don’t worry guys, we checked.”

“And Finn is as pure as the driven snow,” said Poe, with a sly look at his date.

Gus grinned.

“You guys up for the ultimate relationship test?” He handed Poe his controller.

“Our love is both epic and unassailable,” said Poe. “It will take more than pixels to tear us apart.” He climbed over the couch and plopped next to Rey. “Ms. Smith, this will not affect your grade in any way.”

“You say that _now_ ,” said Mark.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

***

Soon Mark had tapped out as well, so BB, another of Rey's classmates (who turned out to be Poe's younger sister) joined the bloodbath. Team FinnRey and Team BBPoe were neck and neck within minutes. 

“So BB,” said Rey, crouching behind a block and gearing up her sniper rifle. “How do you and Poe know Han?”

“I moonlight at the shop sometimes,” said Poe. “And BB has a crush on - Oh FUCK - BB!” Poe’s health was abruptly in the red as BB’s yellow avatar shoved him into a burning barrier. Finn snickered.

“Then shut up, Poe,” BB said, giving him the finger.

“And,” her brother said, glaring. “I help out on the Falcon sometimes. It’s tradition.”

“Our parents were over here a lot,” said BB. “Family friends, you know? It kinda just continued after Mom died.”

The group quieted.

“It was a long time ago,” said Poe, looking down. Finn put his controller down and covered Poe’s hand with his, sliding in close.

“I’m sorry,” he said. Poe’s face softened at his touch. 

“I’m sorry,” said Rey, at the same time, catching BB’s eye. The two men and a coffee table were between her and the tiny girl. She was just trying to extricate herself to go to her when Finn abruptly stood up, his eyes locked with Poes’. 

“You guys keep playing,” he said. “We’re going to go get more chips.” He all but dragged his boyfriend into the kitchen. Rey heard the unmistakable sound of the patio door sliding open. 

BB sighed and moved to the couch, curling up against the side and picking up Finn’s abandoned controller. 

“We don’t have to keep playing if you don’t want to,” said Rey softly. 

“I know,” said BB, smiling sadly. “I - It’s just difficult to talk about, so it doesn’t really - I’m surprised Poe mentioned it at all.”

“Well, Finn is here,” said Rey. “They seem to be really - “ she waved her hand vaguely, searching for the right words. “You can just _talk_ to him, I guess.”

“You too,” said BB. Rey flinched under the intensity of her gaze. “I think that you get it,” she continued. “So we feel like we can say it, you know?”

“Maybe,” said Rey slowly. She looked up hesitantly. BB was smiling sadly. Then she sat up and reset the XBox. 

“Want to do a co-op mission?” She asked.

“Sure,” said Rey, smiling. “Let’s kick some ass.”

***

Soon the previous group reclaimed the controllers, all four (well into their 5th or 6th drinks) shouting for a rematch. BB shook hands with Rey, frowning seriously.

“It has been an honor and a privilege Ma’am.”

“Likewise, Commander BB,” said Rey, with a straight face. 

“I now head to a new battlefield...The blood-soaked wastes of Texas Hold-em. Wanna play?”

Rey laughed, but shook her head.

“I need to eat some actual food,” she said. “Four beers, you know?” _Some water, too…_

“Ok, later then,” said BB. “I think there’s still pizza in the kitchen.” Rey thanked her and headed off in search of sustenance.

She was chugging water and digging through the pile of pizza boxes - _why the hell is the pepperoni always gone?_ \- when she caught a glimpse of movement outside on the patio. Curious, she settled on a piece of cold three-cheese and stepped towards the slider.

Finn and Poe were sitting shoulder to shoulder on the steps close to the pool. The sky was clear, and full of stars. Rey watched as Poe leaned into Finn, their shadows merging into one.

 _Is he crying?_ Rey felt a lump forming in her throat as Finn rocked the older man in his arms. _I shouldn’t be watching this._ But she couldn’t look away. She hadn’t been _held_ like that in...She couldn’t remember. Maybe never.

 _Stupid,_ she thought, as a sob welled up from deep inside of her. She turned back to the food, rubbing furiously at her eyes - and then froze in shock. 

Luke Skywalker stood in the doorway, wearing a threadbare flannel shirt and jeans that had seen better days. His sleeves were rolled up above his elbows, his shirt half-unbuttoned, doubtlessly due to the heat - the man was incredibly flushed. His face and fingers (his...everything, really) were smudged with oil and grease. Rey swallowed. Even through her tears, her eyes were drawn to the black spot right next to his mouth, and the smudge on his cheek. His eyes seemed to look right through her, so blue and kind. Understanding.

That did it. 

She dropped the plate onto the counter and sobbed, her entire body shaking. She hid her face and tried to muffle the noise, but - 

Luke crossed the room and pulled her into his arms. She clung to him, grasping tight, twisting handfuls of his shirt without thinking. He rocked her gently, tucking her head underneath his chin. She shut her eyes, shaking, and let herself feel his soft, warm shirt against her cheek, his strong hands on her back, the rumbling thud of his heart against hers. She pressed closer, breathing in his scent - oil and cutting fluid, warm earth and soap, and something that was just _him._ Something uncoiled inside of her, and the grinding ache deep inside began to fade. 

He held her even after her sobs subsided. It should have been awkward, but Rey was too drained, her senses too full of _Luke_ to care.

“Better?” Luke asked, his voice rumbling deep in his chest. She nodded and resisted the urge to snuggle closer. He squeezed her tightly, and then slowly stepped away. Rey swayed, bereft and dizzy. 

“Yeah…” she said. He handed her a napkin and looked away respectfully as she blew her nose. “Oh…” she said. “I ruined your shirt…” The front was wet with her tears. 

“I think you’re a few years too late,” he said, with the beginning of a smile. 

“You should see _my_ shop shirts,” she said. _Oh, wait. HE DID._

“I think you might have just added another one to your collection,” said Luke, his eyes flicking to her top. She looked down.

The top was now stained from collar to hem with oil and sweat. Luke’s sweat. _I will never wash this shirt again_ , she thought. “Thank you,” she said quietly, her heart hammering in her chest.

“For ruining your shirt?” He said, his voice carefully light.

“No, for - “

“BEN, GET BACK HERE!” 

Rey and Luke jumped. They looked at each other, suddenly aware of just how close they were standing. They stepped apart quickly as a door slammed somewhere below them, followed by thudding footsteps, and a livid, black-haired man around Poe’s age burst into the kitchen, Han hot on his heels. Out of the corner of her eye, Rey saw Finn and Poe jump up and run to the slider, hanging back warily. Luke’s eyes narrowed, focusing on the newcomer. Rey gulped. She had never seen Han this mad. 

“You’re too late, _Father_ ," the black-haired man said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I signed this afternoon.” Rey flinched.

 _Han has a_ son?

“Ben…” said Luke quietly. “Why?”

“This is none of your business,” said Ben. 

“How could you just…” Han leaned heavily against the counter. “Have you forgotten what they did?” His voice quieted. If anything, it was more alarming.

“No,” Ben bit out. “I just don’t believe in living in the past. Father. Uncle,” he nodded to Han and Luke in turn. His eyes flicked to Rey, then to the mess on her shirt, and then to Luke. “I’ll see myself out.”

“Let him go, “ said Luke. Han glared, his hands balling into fists. He left the kitchen. A door slammed. Luke leaned against the counter, sighing heavily.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said. 

“I - I should go,” said Rey. Most of the guests seemed to have the same idea. The living room was silent, except for some awkward bumps and whispers as people collected their handbags and phones, or helped clean up the mess. 

She hesitated. _Is this too far?_ But she did what Jessika told her she should do more often - she followed her gut. She walked next to Luke and took his hand, squeezing gently. 

“I’m sorry,” she said. She almost didn’t catch his reply.

“Thank you.” 

Rey smiled, gave it one final squeeze. She gathered her things. Mark and Gus were already waiting at the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...A wild **PLOT** appears!
> 
> What did Ben do? Why is Han so pissed? How will Leia react? What will Luke do about Ben? What will Luke do about _Rey?_ Will Rey ever wash that shirt? ONLY TIME WILL TELL.
> 
> Edit: Now tagged for Finn/Poe and Han/Leia.  
> Edit 2: Another Chapter 3 edit closes the plot hole in this one! Ben never taught Rey. In fact, he's never seen her before. We'll find out more about him soon...  
> Edit 3: Changed Rey's age from 22 to 23, for REASONS, mostly backstory-related.


	7. Hold Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rey gets some much-needed alone time, Luke can't sleep, and the Skywalker Family Drama continues to escalate.

The ride back to the dorms was one of the most uncomfortable in Rey’s life. After confirming that none of them knew what the hell was going on with Han and his son, the rest of the drive was spent in silence. 

They were all confused. Han had never mentioned Ben to any of them. Pictures of him and Leia lined his desk (the oldest were clearly taken in the 70s), and old racing posters of him and his partner in crime Chuck ‘Chewie’ Backa, and schematics papered the walls of his office, most of them involving his plans for the _Falcon_ , but there was no sign of Ben - no family photos, no calenders, not even a dusty ‘Happy Father’s Day’ card. It was...Well, they were all concerned.

That had _not_ been a normal fight. It had the weight of years behind it.

 _Looked like the entire family was involved too,_ Rey thought. The way that Lu - No, _Professor Skywalker_ \- had reacted said it all. 

Mark and Gus dropped her off at her dorm and exchanged numbers. Rey waved goodbye, her spirits lifting despite the end to the evening.

_Did I make some friends?_

The light was out under the door of her and Jessika’s room, so she opened it as quietly as she could. She was putting her purse away, thinking she was in the clear when the bedside light flicked on.

“Good morning roomie,” said Jessika, yawning. She was lying on her bed, propped up with pillows (some of which were Rey’s) and half-buried under textbooks, paper, and empty Powerbar wrappers. 

“Did I wake you up?” Rey asked quietly. Jessika frowned and sat up straighter, looking at Rey searchingly. 

“Ok, what happened?” She asked, extricating herself from her study-nest.

_Han has a son. I had four beers, and beat some asses at Halo. Han’s wife cards everyone. I ran into my TA and two people from my class, and they’re awesome, and they get me. Han and his son got into a fight..._

“I cried all over Professor Skywalker,” she said. 

Jessika stared. 

“Yeah…” said Rey miserably, flopping facedown on her bed. 

“Ok, slow down,” said Jessika, slowly lowering herself next to Rey on her bed. “You can punch me if this is nuts, but I thought you just said that you cried -”

“I did,” said Rey. “All over his shirt - I - “ 

“...Was it a ‘you ate an onion somewhere in the vicinity of his shirt and he got caught in the blast radius’ cry, or was it a ‘flung yourself into his arms and released the deepest, darkest parts of your soul in the warm circle of his embrace’ cry?”

 _”What?”_ Rey sputtered.

“Looks like it was option two,” Jessika said, looking pointedly at Rey’s stained shirt...And at the now similarly stained comforter. Rey swore and jumped off her bed to survey the damage. 

_Yeah, that’s not coming out anytime soon,_ she thought. 

_Not that that’s a bad thing,_ said the part of her brain that was flooded with the scent of oil and sweat and - 

Rey shook herself and locked it up. She peeled off the shirt and jeans - she laid the shirt carefully on her bed, and tossed the jeans into her overflowing laundry hamper - and reached for a towel and her shower caddy. 

“Ok, ok - But what was he even _doing_ there?” Jessika asked. 

“Turns out he’s Han’s brother-in-law,” said Rey, digging her shower shoes out from the mess under her bed. “I guess he was visiting. I just bumped into him in the kitchen.” She wrapped herself in the towel and headed for the door. “I’ll be right back.”

Even clothed in just a towel, his scent clung to her. She couldn’t sleep like this.

“Wait a sec,” said Jessika, moving to block her. “Cried? Why?” Rey looked away. “What happened?” her friend asked softly.

“I just - I don’t know. I was in the kitchen and I saw Finn with Poe and I got upset and he saw me cry and I guess he felt bad so he hugged me and then Han and his son - I’m sorry Jess, I just really need to - “ _To be alone -_ “To have a shower,” she said. “I hate going to bed all grimy.” She left quickly, just catching Jessika’s startled gasp.

“Wait, Han has a - “ 

***

Rey waited for the water to warm up before she stepped into the shower stall, shivering. It was around 2 in the morning, so she had the bathroom to herself. She stepped directly under the faucet and, for a moment, nothing existed except the water enveloping her like a hug, filling the stall with steam. Her breath caught as her senses snapped to life, keenly aware of the hot rush of water over her breasts, between her legs - 

_\- Rough cloth pressed to her cheek, warm, gentle breath on her skin -_

Her heart sped up as a frisson of desire shuddered through her. She bit her lip and reached for the shampoo.

She took her time with her hair - she _did_ have a lot to wash, but she also relished the rare moment of solitude and as much hot water as she wanted. Lately she’d been stuck taking lightning-fast, freezing showers due to the morning rush on the bathroom (the dorm really needed to spring for a new water heater). So it was nice. And the timing couldn’t have been better.

The party had been the most social interaction she’d had for quite some time - she hadn’t been kidding when she’d spoken to Han. It wasn’t like she didn’t have friends - She and Jessika had been practically inseparable since high school, she had joined a small study group for Calculus 3, and, of course, she had her job. It was just that between said job and her schoolwork, she didn’t really have _space_ for much else. 

Jessika told her it was just the luck of the draw.

“Sometimes you click with people, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes where you are just isn’t...you, but you stick it out anyway, right?” She meant the typical undergraduate experience at both MRU and in Coruscant City in general. “People get into your space and under your skin sometimes. If they’re supposed to be there.” Then she dragged Rey to the library.

And it _had_ been a pretty good - _great_ \- night - right up until she saw Finn and Poe, and everything just hit her, and - 

Rey knew her limits. Right now she needed to just _be alone_ , to recover, to let go of everything except the sound of water on the tiles, the warmth enveloping her. A brush of her washcloth across her breasts sent a jolt of heat straight to her groin.

Rey let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding.

_Screw it._

It didn’t take long. She had more than a few accidental touches and hazy daydreams. She ran the rough cloth along her neck, across painfully hard nipples, biting her lip at the friction, then a finger along her folds - so easily through the water and soap and her - bracing herself against the wall as her core flooded with molten heat. 

With her eyes closed, the beat of the water on the tiles became heavy, rhythmic - _panting_ \- breath, steaming hot on her skin. She ran her free hand along her stomach, her ribs, her side - her hands were smaller, and she couldn’t _reach_ quite far enough, but the water beat down and - 

_\- a hand wrapped around her waist, fingers twining with hers, pulling her against a broad, warm chest. His beard was rough against her neck, setting her skin on fire as he tipped her head to the side, nuzzling her -_

Rey circled her clit, thighs quivering.

_He held her tightly as he took her other hand and guided it over her mound._

_"Teach me."_

Rey almost lost her footing as she came, her legs having temporarily forgotten that they had a job to do. She braced herself against the wall, gasping, as she came back to herself.

She _really_ hoped she was the only one in the bathroom.

***

Luke almost stayed on the cot in the garage. However, knowing Leia, such a thing would likely have worsened the situation. 

They were family. They needed to stick together.

And so he lay awake in the spare bedroom, listening as the shouting became more and more desperate. 

_They’re afraid._

Well, so was he. Possibly moreso, because he knew that Ben knew _exactly_ what he was doing, despite Leia’s protestations to the contrary. Luke had filled his nephew in on some of the more...sensitive parts of his family history a long time ago. He’d always believed that knowledge, no matter how painful, is preferable to ignorance. And the last thing that an impressionable, moody boy needed was to face the Skywalker family demons unprepared.

_If I don’t tell him, someone else will._

Ben had seemed to take it fairly well. At 18, he had his father’s ‘practical’ (for lack of a better word) outlook on life, and his mother’s certainty that things can be changed. Luke had been careful to emphasize that Ben’s life was, well _Ben’s_ , to do with as he willed. His grandfather’s life had been shaped by his _choices,_ and that in the end, he had done the only thing he could to make it right. To atone. 

It was a hell of a story. 

A boy raised in the slums of Mos Epsa grew into a war hero, the best fighter pilot in the world. His name was still spoken with reverence, and used to tear down overly cocky flight cadets.

_Sure, you’re some pretty hot shit...But you’re no Anakin Skywalker._

But he lost it all. He fell in with the most powerful crimelord in the country, and possibly the world -- Sheev Palpatine. Gifts were given. Promises were made. Slowly Anakin’s own desire to _change things_ led him down a dark path that ended with his wife dead and his children gone. He’d thrown off his old life, had even taken a new name.

‘Darth Vader’ had become a household name, one used to get children to stay inside at night, half legend, half terrifying reality -- Palpatine’s enforcer and right-hand man. 

And Ben...Luke still wasn’t sure when the _shift_ happened. It wasn’t overnight. 

Downstairs , a door slammed, and heavy footsteps headed down to the garage. 

There was a long silence. Luke shut his eyes, and was half-gone when there was a knock on his door.

“Luke?” Leia whispered, opening the door a crack.

“I’m awake,” he said. Leia bowed her head and sat wearily at the foot of his bed.

“I’m sorry,” she said. 

“What fo - “ 

“That. Downstairs.” 

Luke smiled sadly and sat up.

“Yeah, that was pretty loud.” _And disturbing._ “Is Han…?”

Leia looked away. The gray light of early morning glinted on her tears.

“Damn it…” said Luke. “Leia, I’m so sorry.” He threw the covers back and sat next to her, shoulder to shoulder, his heart breaking for his sister.

“I - I thought Hosnia was the last time,” she said, her voice in pieces. “He came back.”

Luke listened.

“I thought he’d stay. He has the shop, the - He has a _life!_ ”

“No one was expecting this,” Luke said quietly. “Ben is...He’s 30. You and Han did the best you could.” Leia’s shoulders shook. “It is _not_ your fault. Not Han’s either,” he said, with an ironic half-smile. “You didn't drive them away. They - “

Leia turned to him, looked him full in the face. Luke held her. 

***

Jessika was back in bed when Rey got back to their room, once again half-buried under her books. She yawned and stretched, her eyes blurry. 

“What the hell is the time?”

“3:10,” said Rey, shrugging on the oversized t-shirt and terrycloth shorts she wore to bed. “No class until 2, don’t worry.”

“How come you know my schedule better than me?” Rey smiled and snatched _Electrical Machines: Assessment and Design_ as it slipped out of her roommate’s hands. 

“It’s almost the same as mine,” she said. “Go to sleep.” 

“Mmmph…” Jessika switched off her bedside lamp, almost knocking it over in the process.

Rey got into bed, the undercurrent of tension that had been building all week ebbing away. 

“Jess?” She whispered, after a moment in the dark.

“Mmm?”

“Thanks for waiting up for me.”

“Mm-hmm…” Jessika mumbled. “You’re telling me everything in the morning. _Everything.”_

Rey smiled broadly, and fell asleep wrapped in the scent of Han’s machine shop, and surrounded by the familiar chaos of her and Jessika’s room. 

***

He was late. 

Ben Organa Solo paced the grimy warehouse floor, fuming. The cab was idling outside on the dock, running up the meter to unimaginable heights (not that he couldn’t afford it, now), it was after three, and he was _cold._

_Nothing good ever happens at three in the morning._

Ben smirked as one of his mother’s favorite sayings popped into his mind. He’d always liked that one. It was better than his uncle’s platitudes at any rate. _She always was the smart one._

He checked his watch again. Three-sixteen. 

_Bastard._

The sun was just over the water when he heard the soft purr of an expensive engine outside. He planted his feet, kept his back to the doorway. Let them come to him.

“Good morning,” a cultured voice said from the doorway. “Ben Solo, I presume?”

Ben turned slowly. He wanted the man to squirm.

“And you are?” he asked, not bothering with confirmation. The man was about half a head shorter then him, wearing a long, black greatcoat that did not quite disguise his slight build. His copper hair was impeccably styled, his pale complexion highlighting sharp cheekbones and a piercing gaze. Which was currently fixed on Ben, taking his measure. 

“Hux,” said the man, smirking. “I suggest you pay your driver. You won’t be needing him.” 

Ben’s temper deteriorated further, consumed with the thought that Hux would look a lot better with a broken nose. 

“Of course,” he bit out.

“After you,” said Hux, gesturing towards the door with a gloved hand. 

The cabbie took his money without a word, his eyes on Hux. _Not me, that will change._

Hux gestured to the black BMW X5 M50d idling on the dock. The drive was silent and smooth. Ben let himself feel it. Even if he’d rather be driving. 

“Where are we going?” he asked finally. Hux smiled.

“Wait and see.”

***

Leia fell asleep next to him. For a moment, it was like they were children again, protecting each other, together through thick and thin wherever the hell Child Services sent them next. Luke fought down the anger, the _why the hell did Han keep doing this?_ They’d been doing so _well._

In the morning, he’d find Han. And they would have _words._

It had taken so much for Leia to trust, to let Han into her life. How he could just _walk away_ from her...Luke hoped he would never understand. 

He’d been in relationships before, even lived with a woman for a time, but none of them had even come close to what Han and Leia had, that _connection_ that made two people one, where they fell into each other, _together_ in a way completely different than what he had with Leia, but just as strong. _Different kinds of love,_ he’d told Han, long ago. 

Luke had slowly accepted that it just wasn’t in the cards for him. Not everyone found something like that. Han told him that he just wasn’t over Mara yet - and _that_ had ended badly enough for Luke to know that he had a point. 

_And now I’m -_

He supposed that ‘infatuated’ was probably the best word. 

Slowly, so that he wouldn’t wake his sister, Luke wrapped his arms around himself, trying to feel her again, holding him tightly, keeping him standing.

_Rey._

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been held like that. Possibly never.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. This is a [BMW X5 M50d.](http://cdn.bmwblog.com/wp-content/uploads/Hamann-BMW-X5-F15-Tuning-M50d-23-Zoll-Anniversary-Evo-SUV-DS-Automobile-13.jpg) Because of course Ben would know the exact make and model. 
> 
> 2\. Anyone who's ever had a roommate in college knows that 'alone time' can be hard to come by. For _any_ sort of alone-time activities.
> 
> 3\. Note that there will be no Luke/Leia in this fic. Just epic Twin Feels!
> 
> 4\. Also, Luke and Leia weren't separated until they were seven. They pushed the memories away to protect themselves, because that kind of shit is traumatic. It all came back much later, when they mixed it up with Palpatine's syndicate.
> 
> 5\. My Han/Leia headcanon in light of TFA info has their married-with-a-son life as being just as rocky as their flirting-while-fighting thing in the OT. He's left and come back a few times. The 'Hosnia' incident was the previous one.
> 
> 6\. Luke...You're breaking my heart, man!

**Author's Note:**

> Now has a Pinterest board!!!
> 
> Here: [Valve Lash](https://www.pinterest.com/onelightpoint/fic-valve-lash/)


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